Application effect of pneumatic tourniquet with individualized pressure setting in orthopaedic surgery of extremities: A meta-analysis.

AIMS: To evaluate the application effect of individualized pressure setting strategy of pneumatic tourniquet in orthopaedic surgery. BACKGROUND: Some individualized setting pressures of pneumatic tourniquet are lower than the standard pressure recommended in the textbook (Nursing of Operating Room, People's Military Publishing House, 2008). DESIGN: Meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: CL, WOS, PubMed, CNKI, CBM, VIP and Wan-fang DATA. REVIEW METHODS: We searched studies on the application effect of individualized pressure of pneumatic tourniquet from the establishment date of the databases to September 2017. Study quality was assessed using the quality evaluation method recommended in the Cochrane Handbook 5.1.0 (Higgins, 2011). The primary outcome was inflation pressure. RESULTS: We identified nine studies including 1,200 patients. The individualized pressure setting strategy can provide a lower inflation pressure (four studies), improve haemostatic effect (six studies) and reduce the incidence of related complications (eight studies). CONCLUSIONS: An individualized inflation pressure is recommended when using the tourniquet in orthopaedic surgery. And the setting pressure might be a minimum and efficiency one, by accessing the the systolic blood pressure and limb circumferences of the patient. IMPACT: This study addressed that the individualized pressure setting strategy of pneumatic tourniquet can provide a lower inflation pressure and a higher application value in orthopaedic limb surgery. However, greater attention should be focused on how to unify the individualized pressure setting strategy. Meanwhile, the instructions for use from manufacturers need to be updated. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct a large-sample multi-centre high-quality randomized controlled trial in strict accordance with the CONSORT standard.

Physiological Content and Intrinsic Activities of 10 Cytochrome P450 Isoforms in Human Normal Liver Microsomes.

Due to a lack of physiologic cytochrome P450 (P450) isoform content, P450 activity is typically only determined at the microsomal level (per milligram of microsomal protein) and not at the isoform level (per picomole of P450 isoform), which could result in the misunderstanding of variations in P450 activity between individuals and further hinder development of personalized medicine. We found that there were large variations in protein content, mRNA levels, and intrinsic activities of the 10 P450s in 100 human liver samples, in which CYP2E1 and CYP2C9 showed the highest expression levels. P450 gene polymorphisms had different effects on activity at two levels: CYP3A5*3 and CYP2A6*9 alleles conferred increased activity at the isoform level but decreased activity at the microsomal level; CYP2C9*3 had no effect at the isoform level but decreased activity at the microsomal level. The different effects at each level stem from the different effects of each polymorphism on the resulting P450 protein. Individuals with CYP2A6*1/*4, CYP2A6*1/*9, CYP2C9*1/*3, CYP2D6 100C>T TT, CYP2E1 7632T>A AA, CYP3A5*1*3, and CYP3A5*3*3 genotypes had significantly lower protein content, whereas CYP2D6 1661G>C mutants had a higher protein content. In conclusion, we first offered the physiologic data of 10 P450 isoform contents and found that some single nucleotide polymorphisms had obvious effects on P450 expression in human normal livers. The effects of gene polymorphisms on intrinsic P450 activity at the isoform level were quite different from those at the microsomal level, which might be due to changes in P450 protein content.

[Assessment of schistosomiasis transmission interruption in Beichuan County, Sichuan Province].

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether Beichuan County reaches the national standard of schistosomiasis transmission interruption. METHODS: Three villages in Beichuan County were sampled as assessment spots, and the schistosomiasis infections of residents and domestic animals, the status of Oncomelania snails and the past records were assessed according to the Criteria for Control and Elimination of Schistosomiasis in China. RESULTS: No local schistosome infections were found in residents and cattle for successive 5 years and no snails were found for 2 successive years in the 3 villages. The files were documented completely. All the indices reached the national standard of schistosomiasis transmission being interrupted. CONCLUSION: Beichuan County has reached the national standard of schistosomiasis transmission interruption. However, the endemic surveillance of schistosomiasis still needs to continue.

[Analysis of differentially expressed proteins in normal cervix, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical squamous carcinoma tissues].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the differentially expressed proteins in normal cervix, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and squamous cervical carcinoma (SCC) tissues by differential proteomics, and to provide a basis for studies on CIN molecular pathogenesis, clinical diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: Uterine cervical tissue specimens from the patients treated between August 2008 and September 2009 in the Department of Oncology of Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital were collected. There were samples of normal cervix (n = 9), CIN (n = 23, CIN I = 7, CIN II = 8, CIN III = 8) and SCC (n = 7). 2-D DIGE and DeCyder software were used to detect the differentially expressed protein-spots. Then MALDI-TOF/TOF MS was used to analyze the differentially expressed proteins. Collect normal cervix(n = 20), CIN (n = 60) and SCC (n = 20), immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blot were used to verify the differentially expressed proteins of S100A9 (S100 calcium-binding protein A9) , eEF1A1 (eukaryotic elongation factor 1-alpha-1) and PKM2 (pyruvate kinase isozymes M2) among the normal cervix, CIN and SCC tissues. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the differentially expressed S100A9, eEF1A1 and PKM2 in the cervical tissues. RESULTS: 2D gel electrophoresis images with high resolution and good repeatability were obtained. Forty-six differentially expressed proteins (27 were up-regulated and 19 were down-regulated) were selected among the normal, CIN, and SCC, and 26 proteins were successfully identified. Immunohistochemistry showed that protein S100A9 was mainly expressed in the cytoplasm, and its positive expression rate was 20.0% in normal cervical mucosa, 70.0% in CIN, and 100.0% in squamous cell carcinoma, with a significant difference between them (P = 0.006). eEF1A1 was mainly expressed in the cell plasma. Its positive expression rate was 70.0% in normal cervix, 73.3%in CIN and 60.0% in SCC tissues, with a non-significant difference between them (P = 0.758). The protein PKM2 was mainly expressed in the cell nuclei. Its positive expression rate was 100.0% in normal cervix, 93.3% in CIN and 75.0% in SCC tissues, showing a difference close to statistical significance (P = 0.059) between them. The results of Western blot were similar with that of immunohistochemical examination. CONCLUSIONS: There are differentially expressed proteins among normal cervix, CIN and SCC. S100A9, eEF1A1 and PKM2 may become candidate markers for early diagnosis of cervical cancer and new targets for therapy. It also provides a further basis for studies of the pathogenetic mechanism of CIN developing to cervical cancer.

[Surveillance of schistosomiasis in Sichuan Province, 2005-2010].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the epidemic trend of schistosomiasis in Sichuan Province so as to provide the evidence for formulating schistosomiasis control strategy. METHODS: According to the National Schistosomiasis Surveillance Protocol, the national surveillance sites in Sichuan Province were selected. The schistosomiasis surveillance was carried out continuously from 2005 to 2010. RESULTS: Nine national schistosomiasis surveillance sites were established in Pujiang, Guanghan, Zhongjiang, Fucheng, Dongpo, Danling, Renshou, Xichang and Dechang counties. The Oncomelania hupensis snail area decreased from 351 853 m2 in 2005 to 128 285 m2 in 2010, the snail density from 0.70 to 0.21 per 0.1 m2, the snail infection rate from 0.06% to 0, the positive rate of human serum schistosome antibody from 19.41% to 7.62%, the schistosome infection rate of human population from 1.93% to 0.10%, and the infection rate of livestock from 4.50% to 1.02%. The snails were found mainly in ditch, rice field and other moist field. CONCLUSIONS: Though the endemic of schistosomiasis has reached a low level in Sichuan Province, the endemic situation fluctuates at a narrow range in some surveillance sites. Therefore, the surveillance work should be carried out continuously.

DeltAMT: a statistical algorithm for fast detection of protein modifications from LC-MS/MS data.

Identification of proteins and their modifications via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry is an important task for the field of proteomics. However, because of the complexity of tandem mass spectra, the majority of the spectra cannot be identified. The presence of unanticipated protein modifications is among the major reasons for the low spectral identification rate. The conventional database search approach to protein identification has inherent difficulties in comprehensive detection of protein modifications. In recent years, increasing efforts have been devoted to developing unrestrictive approaches to modification identification, but they often suffer from their lack of speed. This paper presents a statistical algorithm named DeltAMT (Delta Accurate Mass and Time) for fast detection of abundant protein modifications from tandem mass spectra with high-accuracy precursor masses. The algorithm is based on the fact that the modified and unmodified versions of a peptide are usually present simultaneously in a sample and their spectra are correlated with each other in precursor masses and retention times. By representing each pair of spectra as a delta mass and time vector, bivariate Gaussian mixture models are used to detect modification-related spectral pairs. Unlike previous approaches to unrestrictive modification identification that mainly rely upon the fragment information and the mass dimension in liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, the proposed algorithm makes the most of precursor information. Thus, it is highly efficient while being accurate and sensitive. On two published data sets, the algorithm effectively detected various modifications and other interesting events, yielding deep insights into the data. Based on these discoveries, the spectral identification rates were significantly increased and many modified peptides were identified.

Comparison of three methods of protein extraction from Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus for two-dimensional electrophoresis.

OBJECTIVE: To explore an effective method of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus protein extraction suitable for two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) analysis. METHODS: The extracts of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus were prepared with Coca's solution, lysis buffer of 2-DE, and Trizol reagent, respectively. Bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay was used to determine the total protein concentration of the samples. The efficiency of different protein extraction methods were evaluated with 2-DE analysis. RESULTS: The concentrations of extracted protein by methods of Coca's solution, lysis buffer, and Trizol reagent were 0.63 g/L, 0.90 g/L, and 0.80 g/L, respectively. The 2-DE analysis results showed that some protein spots in low molecular weight (LMW) range could be detected with the Coca's solution method. With the lysis buffer of 2-DE method, more protein spots in LMW range could be detected, while the medium molecular weight (MMW) protein spots were absent. Several MMW protein spots (174-178 kD and 133 kD) and more LMW protein spots were detected with Trizol reagent method. CONCLUSIONS: Among Coca's solution, lysis buffer of 2-DE, and Trizol reagent, the concentration of extracted protein of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus by lysis buffer of 2-DE is the highest. However, most protein components of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus purified mite bodies can be extracted by Trizol reagent, which may generally reflect the whole profile of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus allergens.

A strategy for precise and large scale identification of core fucosylated glycoproteins.

Core fucosylation (CF) patterns of some glycoproteins are more sensitive and specific than evaluation of their total respective protein levels for diagnosis of many diseases, such as cancers. Global profiling and quantitative characterization of CF glycoproteins may reveal potent biomarkers for clinical applications. However, current techniques are unable to reveal CF glycoproteins precisely on a large scale. Here we developed a robust strategy that integrates molecular weight cutoff, neutral loss-dependent MS(3), database-independent candidate spectrum filtering, and optimization to effectively identify CF glycoproteins. The rationale for spectrum treatment was innovatively based on computation of the mass distribution in spectra of CF glycopeptides. The efficacy of this strategy was demonstrated by implementation for plasma from healthy subjects and subjects with hepatocellular carcinoma. Over 100 CF glycoproteins and CF sites were identified, and over 10,000 mass spectra of CF glycopeptide were found. The scale of identification results indicates great progress for finding biomarkers with a particular and attractive prospect, and the candidate spectra will be a useful resource for the improvement of database searching methods for glycopeptides.

Proteomic analysis of ionizing radiation-induced proteins at the subcellular level.

Irradiation induces a series of liver diseases. However the molecular mechanisms involving in the process of liver diseases induced by irradiation are still unclear. Subcellular proteomics provides a method to understand regional differences in protein expression levels. With accumulating evidence in the literature that new proteins are implicated in radiation response, in the present study, C57BL/6 mice were treated with irradiation, liver cell homogenates were subfractionated by differential ultracentrifugation into nuclei, mitochondria and cytosol, which were subjected to 2-DE to generate the proteomic maps of these fractions. The differentially expressed proteins in the nuclei, mitochondria and cytosol compartment of liver at 24 and 48 h after exposure to 20 Gy irradiation compared to control were identified by MALDI-TOF MS respectively. Total 37 proteins at 24 h and 29 proteins at 48 h were matched with known proteins after database searching in nuclei, mitochondria and cytosol, respectively, among which nine proteins exhibited changes at both time points. Most of these proteins are involved in antioxidant response, energy metabolism, molecular chaperones and inflammatory response. More antioxidant-associated proteins were induced at 48 h than 24 h. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting further validated 2-DE results of two of these proteins. It is feasible that the differential proteins identified in this study have a biological significance and may provided clues for understanding the mechanism of injury in liver induced by irradiation.

Optimal design and validation of antiviral siRNA for targeting hepatitis B virus.

AIM: Optimal design of antiviral short-interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting highly divergent hepatitis B virus (HBV) was validated by quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) analysis. METHODS: The potency of 23 synthetic siRNAs targeting 23 sites throughout HBV pregenomic RNA were evaluated at 10 nmol/L by determining the inhibition on the expression of S/P/pregenomic mRNA and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) quantitatively in HepG2.2.15 cells. Genotype homology within HBV genomes was identified through plentiful computational analysis and the multiple linear regression analysis was made to validate the relationship between the functional siRNAs and primary characteristics. Based on the preliminary results, relationships between different determined endpoints [S/P mRNA, HBsAg, C/P mRNA, hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and viral DNA load] and siRNA efficacy evaluation were investigated. RESULTS: Genotype homology, open reading frame (ORF) S/P, X and C had tight correlation with the ability of siRNAs on inhibiting the expression of S/P/Pregenomic mRNA and HBsAg (P<0.01), of which, ORF C was negatively correlated with the siRNA potency (P<0.05). Further study showed that siRNA potency evaluation was influenced by different determined endpoints. P-target siRNAs showed significant inhibition on the S mRNA and HBsAg expression. S-target siRNAs inhibited the expression of S mRNA and HBsAg strongly. X-target siRNAs played active roles in inhibiting all 5 determined endpoints. C-target siRNAs blocked the expression of C mRNA, HBeAg and viral DNA load significantly. CONCLUSION: The antiviral potency of siRNA was relevant to its primary characteristics and determined endpoints were important for siRNA efficacy evaluation for complex genome with overlapping ORF, which was helpful for siRNA optimal design.

Proteomic screen defines the hepatocyte nuclear factor 1alpha-binding partners and identifies HMGB1 as a new cofactor of HNF1alpha.

Hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)-1alpha is one of the liver-enriched transcription factors involved in many tissue-specific expressions of hepatic genes. The molecular mechanisms for determining HNF1alpha-mediated transactivation have not been explained fully. To identify unknown proteins that interact with HNF1alpha, we developed a co-IP-MS strategy to search HNF1alpha interactions, and high mobility group protein-B1 (HMGB1), a chromosomal protein, was identified as a novel HNF1alpha-interacting protein. In vitro glutathione S-transferase pull-down and in vivo co-immunoprecipitation studies confirmed an interaction between HMGB1 and HNF1alpha. The protein-protein interaction was mediated through the HMG box domains of HMGB1 and the homeodomain of HNF1alpha. Furthermore, electrophoretic mobility shift assay and chromatin-immunoprecipitation assay demonstrated that HMGB1 was recruited to endogenous HNF1alpha-responsive promoters and enhanced HNF1alpha binding to its cognate DNA sequences. Moreover, luciferase reporter analyses showed that HMGB1 potentiated the transcriptional activities of HNF1alpha in cultured cells, and downregulation of HMGB1 by RNA interference specifically affected the HNF1alpha-dependent gene expression in HepG2 cell. Taken together, these findings raise the intriguing possibility that HMGB1 is a new cofactor of HNF1alpha and participates in HNF1alpha-mediated transcription regulation through protein-protein interaction.

[Analysis of serum biomarkers of ovarian epithelial cancers based on 2-DE DIGE and MALDI TOF/TOF].

OBJECTIVE: To find new serum tumor markers for ovarian epithelial cancers by 2-DE DIGE and MALDI-TOF/TOF proteomic methods, in order to improve the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. METHODS: Serum samples from 103 cases of ovarian epithelial cancers, 60 cases of healthy women, 63 cases of benign ovarian tumors and 63 cases of benign pelvic diseases were collected. Sera of 20 cases of ovarian epithelial cancers (A), 20 cases of ovarian benign tumors (B), 20 cases of pelvic benign diseases (C) and 20 cases of health control (D) were matched by age and pooled, respectively. After depletion of high abundance serum albumin and IgG, the samples were assayed by 2-DE DIGE. The test was repeated three times. Analysis with DeCyder software revealed significant differential protein spots which were identified by MAIDI-TOF/TOF. Western blot and ELISA were used to validate the candidate serum markers. RESULTS: 1) There were 41 proteins having significant differences between the groups. MAIDI-TOF/TOF successfully identified 28 proteins. Haptoglobin (Hp) was the most significantly up-regulated protein, and transferrin (Tf) was the most significantly down-regulated protein. 2) Western blot and ELISA proved that there were significant differences in Hp and Tf between ovarian epithelial cancers and normal controls (P = 0.000), between ovarian epithelial cancers and ovarian benign tumors (P = 0.000), between ovarian epithelial cancers and benign pelvic disease sera (P = 0.000). 3) CA125 + Hp + Tf combined detection of ovarian cancer had higher sensitivity and specificity than CA125, Hp or Tf detection alone. CONCLUSION: Hp and Tf are differently expressed in the sera of patients with ovarian epitheliual cancers. They can be used as serum biomarkers for ovarian epithelial cancers. CA125 + Hp + Tf combined detection may improve the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis of ovarian epithelial cancers.

Purification, characterization, and substrate specificity of a glucoamylase with steroidal saponin-rhamnosidase activity from Curvularia lunata.

It has been previously reported that a glucoamylase from Curvularia lunata is able to hydrolyze the terminal 1,2-linked rhamnosyl residues of sugar chains at C-3 position of steroidal saponins. In this work, the enzyme was isolated and identified after isolation and purification by column chromatography including gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography. Analysis of protein fragments by MALDI-TOF/TOF proteomics Analyzer indicated the enzyme to be 1,4-alpha-D-glucan glucohydrolase EC 3.2.1.3, GA and had considerable homology with the glucoamylase from Aspergillus oryzae. We first found that the glucoamylase was produced from C. lunata and was able to hydrolyze the terminal rhamnosyl of steroidal saponins. The enzyme had the general character of glucoamylase, which hydrolyze starch. It had a molecular mass of 66 kDa and was optimally active at 50 degrees C, pH 4, and specific activity of 12.34 U mg of total protein(-1) under the conditions, using diosgenin-3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1-->4)-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1-->2)]-beta-D-glucopyranoside (compound II) as the substrate. Furthermore, four kinds of commercial glucoamylases from Aspergillus niger were investigated in this work, and they had the similar activity in hydrolyzing terminal rhamnosyl residues of steroidal saponin.

[Proteomic analysis of G2/M arrest of HL-60 cells induced by MG132].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Proteasome inhibitor, which can induce apoptosis in various tumor cells, is a kind of potential antitumor drug. This study was to identify the proteins involved in G(2)/M arrest of leukemia cell line HL-60 exposed to proteasome inhibitor MG132 by proteomic techniques. METHODS: Flow cytometry was used to examine cell cycle of HL-60 cells exposed to 2.5 micromol/L MG132. Nuclear extracts of HL-60 cells were prepared, and the purity was detected by light microscopy and Western blot, and the differentially expressed protein spots were determined by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and identified with MALDI-TOF-TOF/MS. RESULTS: There was a distinct G(2)/M phase arrest before the apoptosis of HL-60 cells induced by 2.5 micromol/L MG132. Twenty-three differentially expressed protein spots were found between MG132-treated and control HL-60 cells; 8 nuclear proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF-TOF/MS analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The detected proteins, such as eIF5A and splicing factor, may be involved in regulation of G(2)/M arrest of HL-60 cells. These findings will be helpful for revealing molecular mechanisms of proteasome inhibitor-induced G(2)/M phase arrest and apoptosis of leukemia cell line.

Proteomic analysis of mitochondrial proteins in cardiomyocytes from chronic stressed rat.

Chronic restraint stress induces cardiac dysfunction as well as cardiomyocyte injury including severe ultrastructural alteration and cell death, but its mechanism and molecular basis remain unclear. Mitochondria play a key role in regulating cell life. For exploring mitochondrial proteins which correlate with stress-induced injury, two-dimensional electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) were applied. After comparing the protein profiles of myocardial mitochondria between a chronic restraint stress group and a control group, 11 protein spots were found altered, seven of which were identified by MALDI-TOF MS. Among the seven proteins, five proteins involved in the Krebs cycle and lipid metabolism in mitochondria decreased after chronic restraint stress. They were identified as carnitine palmitoyltransferase 2, mitochondrial acyl-CoA thioesterase 1, isocitrate dehydrogenase 3 (NAD+) alpha, fumarate hydratase 1 and pyruvate dehydrogenase beta. The last two proteins, creatine kinase and prohibitin, increased after chronic restraint stress. Biochemical tests for energy metabolism in mitochondria also supported the proteomic results. These findings provide clues for understanding the mechanism of dysfunction or injury in cardiomyocytes induced by chronic stress.

[Proteomics-based identification of Maspin differential expression in bronchial epithelial immortalized cells and malignant transformation cells].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Maspin, a serepin inhibitor, plays a key role in tumor growth and metastasis. The aim of this study was to identify the differential expression of Maspin in malignant transformation process of bronchial epithelial cells by proteomics. METHODS: Functional proteomics analysis of Maspin on bronchial epithelial immortalized cells and malignant transformation cells was carried out using immobilized pH gradient (IPG) two-dimensional electrophoresis, peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF), and post source decay (PSD) of bio-mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Nearly 1500 expressed proteins profile on bronchial epithelial immortalized cells and malignant transformation cells were obtained in the range of MW 14.4-94 kDa, PI 3-10. Image analysis showed that Maspin was down-regulated in malignant transformation cells compared with that in immortalized cells. Northern blot analysis showed that the mRNA abundance of Maspin in malignant transformation cells was much lower than that in immortalized cells. CONCLUSION: Alteration expression of Maspin at transcription and translation levels might be involved in carcinogenesis of lung.

[Analysis of protein phosphorylation by combination of IMAC, phosphatase with biological mass spectrometry].

Protein phosphorylation is the most important reversible post-translational modification in cells. Analysis of phosphorylated proteins and identification of their phosphorylation sites is helpful for understanding their biological functions. MALDI-TOF-MS and ESI-Q-TOF-MS play important roles in protein phosphorylation analysis. In this work, immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) was used to selectively enrich phosphopeptides from protein digest mixtures, and treatment of phosphopeptides with alkaline phosphatase was used to confirm the phosphorylation. Finally, the phosphorylation sites were determined by tandem mass spectrometry analysis and database searching.

Loss of clusterin both in serum and tissue correlates with the tumorigenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma via proteomics approaches.

AIM: To identify the differentially secreted proteins or polypeptides associated with tumorigenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) from serum and to find potential tumor secreted biomarkers. METHODS: Proteins from human ESCC tissue and its matched adjacent normal tissue; pre-surgery and post-surgery serum; and pre-surgery and normal control serum were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) to identify differentially expressed proteins. The silver-stained 2-DE were scanned with digital ImageScanner and analyzed with ImageMaster 2D Elite 3.10 software. A cluster of protein spots differentially expressed were selected and identified with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). One of the differentially expressed proteins, clusterin, was down-regulated in cancer tissue and pre-surgery serum, but it was reversed in post-surgery serum. The results were confirmed by semi-quantitative reverse-transcription (RT)-PCR and western blot. RESULTS: Comparisons of the protein spots identified on the 2-DE maps from human matched sera showed that some proteins were differentially expressed, with most of them showing no differences in composition, shape or density. Being analyzed by MALDI-TOF-MS and database searching, clusterin was differentially expressed and down-regulated in both cancer tissue and pre-surgery serum compared with their counterparts. The results were also validated by RT-PCR and western blot. CONCLUSION: The differentially expressed clusterin may play a key role during tumorigenesis of ESCC. The 2DE-MS based proteomic approach is one of the powerful tools for discovery of secreted markers from peripheral.

[Analysis of proteins with altered expression in human esophageal squamous cell carcinomas].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is characterized by high incidence and high mortality. This study was designed to identify the proteins dysregulated in ECSS by. METHODS: Microdissection of routinely unstained frozen sections was used to procure cancer cells from seven esophageal squamous cell carcinomas, and esophageal epithelial cells from normal tissues adjacent to the tumors. By two-dimensional electrophoresis, protein profiles of normal and cancerous tissues were obtained. Selected proteins with altered expression in tumors were identified through MALDI-TOF-MS. RESULTS: Compared the protein profiles of tumors with those of normal epithelia, 11 proteins were found as dysregulated in tumors. Among them, HSP27 was observed up-expressed and three isoforms of ANNEXIN I were seen down-expressed in cancerous tissues. CONCLUSION: Two-dimensional electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry can contribute to rapidly screen dysregulated proteins in human maligancies. Altered expressions of HSP27 and ANNEXIN I were the frequent events in Chinese esophageal squamous cell carcinomas.

[Analysis of the proteomic changes of the serum of the Smad3 targeted deficient mice].

We have studied the proteomic changes of the serum of the Smad3 targeted deficient mice using 2-DE and PMF approaches. 7 proteins expressed at different level in wild type mice and the Smad3 deficient mice were identified. These results would benefit the research on diagnosis and therapy of osteoarthritis and provided clues to studying the important function of Smad3 mediated TGF-beta signals during the skeletal development.